The [Pure] way of the womb: Part IV

THREE CYCLES! Three moon cycles I’ve flowed through, without taking any pills from a little plastic bottle from the pharmacy. Absolutely no pain relievers. I have experienced some mild cramping, though I took only an herbal tincture given to me by my Naturopathic Doctor. I have waited months to write this last part, Part IV of The Pure Way of the Womb because I wanted to be certain. I can now say with confidence that there has been a significant shift. I am not experiencing anywhere near the same level of intensity. I am not moaning and writhing in my bed in excruciating pain. It’s over! I made it through.

Finally, this area my life is in alignment. For years, I felt like a failure, or a fraud- preaching a conscious, natural lifestyle and still taking Advil once a month. My life almost felt like a lie. How could I preach about a life where the precious temple of the body is kept pure, yet I would poison it with methylparaben, pharmaceutical glaze, croscarmellose sodium; this long list of toxic substances that I wouldn’t advise anyone to consume…

I feel like a new person. I can walk my talk now. It’s an incredible feeling. One of my favorite authors (she’s also a speaker, and a board certified Ob/Gyn among many other titles), is Dr. Christiane Northrup. Her message resonates so deeply that I absolutely cannot get enough. I’ve listened to all of her podcasts, watched all of her videos that I can find, and have purchased all of her books. This woman speaks the truth! Her message is very much focused on the female body and reproductive system. In one podcast that I recently listened to, Dr. Northrup speaks about her book, Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom (Revised Edition): Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing. She stated that our bodies are wired with wisdom, and a woman’s body is in rhythm with the moon cycle when our moon blood flows. In other words, a woman’s menstrual cycle puts her in sync with the lunar cycle and the waters of the earth. She told a story of a woman who had been experiencing painful cycles for years. The woman read the book, Her Blood is Gold by Lara Owen, and decided to try giving herself time and space, and to slow down and be more mindful during her cycle, as well as offering more love to her own body. By doing this, she experienced a profound shift. The woman wrote to Dr. Northrup:

“[…] and I didn’t even turn on my computer until about four or five in the afternoon that day, which was absolutely revelatory for me. I felt like I was walking in this magical, powerful energy within my cocoon all day. I wrote in my journal, meditated, listened to music, and rested. That month I had almost no cramping at all, and no nausea whatsoever—this after a couple of months in a row of some of my worst symptoms yet.

This is so similar to my story. I used to “work” (I’ll explain what this work was in a later article), during my moon cycle, and pressure myself to meet all of the same demands I would any other day. I remember a girlfriend of mine, iX-Chel, saying to me, “I’m on my moon! I am not doing any work or answering my phone.”

This unfolded into an ever greater question of what I really want to be doing. For some time, I was confused about this authentic desire, and figured I should still schedule myself to work because I did in fact want to make more money. Working a lot, working hard-it’s good, right? It took some soul searching to realize that I didn’t really want to work during my moon cycle, if given the option. What I really wanted was to read books that I love, paint, be slow, bathe in rose petals, and listen to expansive music that elevates my spirit. This phrase of “self-care” gets thrown around a lot in my community and I’ve noticed how important it is to fully define what this means to me. The more clarity I find in my practice of self-care, the better I can offer myself this gift. It may seem esoteric, or too deep in the metaphysical, so it’s important to do this for yourself to understand the power. Self-care really begins in the mind. It’s giving myself mental space and being kind-to myself. My painful menstrual cycles have ended because I did a lot of work. Not just physically, but mentally. It’s been a major shift in thinking. Let me explain.

Kambo really urged me to unravel this issue and essentially paved the way, and now the work is continuing to love and honor myself by listening closely to my body. When I need to slow down, when I need to create and maintain boundaries, and when I just need to say no. It’s all deeply woven, tightly together. The way I speak to myself, and the thoughts I think, everything is affecting my physical experience. Here’s the most important part; understanding and acknowledging the deepest truth: Moon blood is powerful. Moon blood is sacred. A woman’s moon cycle is a profound time to tune into a wellspring of wisdom. What is this magic? Most everyone agrees that pregnant women are more sensitive and are more connected to their intuition. It’s as if they have super powers as they are in the process of creating new life. This is similar to women who are “on their moon.” When a woman is on her cycle a few magic things can occur:

senses are heightened

intuition is heightened

sexual confidence can awaken

energy turns inward

creative flow increases

I believe the pain was my body asking me to wake up. It was an extremely loud wake up call that I was not answering because I would choose to numb it, instead of asking what it was asking of me! It was asking me to embrace my wisdom. Explore the magic of my being. Menstrual blood is not waste! It is not the disgusting mess that we are told we must hide, and soak up with expensive products that take years to biodegrade. Not so fun fact: “More than 45 billion tampons or sanitary pads are used every year across the globe resulting in 3.2 million kgs of waste” (2018, Change to Green).

The waste aspect is one piece, and what we are really disposing of is the other, more alarming piece, for me. Dr. Northrup also stated in that same podcast that moon blood is full of stem cells! There are actually companies that you can pay to bank menstrual blood as it’s considered an investment in your health! How could it be considered waste? I spent at least a decade of my life thinking that I had to hide my blood and soak it up-and dispose of it because it was unsanity, disgusting, and a curse that I was even bleeding.

This may all be a major paradigm shift-it was for me. From feeling embarrassed about needing to ask a friend for a tampon in high school, and hiding my stained panties, to honoring the sacred time and the power flowing through me. Men! This is for you too! I am blessed to be in a relationship with a man who honors my moon cycle and the wisdom of it. Empowered women (and men) honor the natural cycles and rhythms of life and acknowledge the sacred! In many ancient cultures, the woman’s moon cycle was honored.

We can look to the tribes who inhabited what is now North America, who created Moon Lodges for their women who were menstruating. In these lodges, women could come together and dream, unwind, meditate, and tune fully into themselves. Because they were more in tune to the interconnection, and sensitive to their surroundings; often women would have prophetic dreams and visions about the tribe and hunting prey.

Because of this practice of the tribes, it has been said that the surefire way to eradicate a village was to destroy these Moon Lodges. According to the Cherokee, moon blood was considered one source of feminine strength that could destroy enemies.

How are you feeling about moon blood now?

I’m still working on shifting my beliefs and becoming empowered. Please join me in educating the generations that follow, by taking the lead. Moon blood is sacred. The body is wired with wisdom. We can elevate all by elevating ourselves.

Stay tuned as I will soon be outlining how the moon cycle can help women to map out, and organize their lives to optimize the flow of creative power~~~*

If you, or anyone you know, is struggling with reproductive issues, menstrual pain, or debilitating cramps; this is one piece of a four part series where I tell my story of how I healed and found my way out of pain. My hope is that it will inspire and empower women to seek answers and become their own greatest healer.